Making customizable greeting cards

I’ve always wanted to give people a chance to customize greeting cards and other printables I make. I’ve only made greeting cards people can download and print as they were, and then they could write any messages they want inside by hand. I’ve also made editable party invitations people can customize using a free service called Jet Template, but from time to time I experienced issues with the service.

This past month I had been tinkering with Canva, a design tool I’ve used throughout the years. The great thing about Canva is that it is a design app you can use in your web browser. It’s fairly easy-to-use, and more and more people are using it to DIY their own designs.

After using it for so long, I found that other artists and Etsy shop owners were using Canva to create shareable templates. After a few days I had figured out a way to make one myself, so I made my first template for a Halloween-themed Filipino pun greeting card.

I plan to make more of these in the future, especially with puns since I’m still a self-professed Tito Joke Connoisseur!

What I love about making printables is that they don’t require a physical delivery which includes packaging and possible delays. Because of that I assume the carbon footprint is way less. Another great reason for me is that it also enables people to take part in the art process too. Whether it is by choosing a nice frame for my art that matches their home, or customizing my art to cater to their own needs, printables feel like a lightweight collaboration between artist and customer. They’re also cheaper than physical art, making them affordable for more people.

Lots of great reasons to make printables as an artist, so this is definitely something I’ll continue to do moving forward.